Courageous HR Leadership: new SHRM board chair Johnny Taylor says courageous leadership is a top challenge for the profession

HR Magazine, Jan, 2005

Johnny C. Taylor Jr., J.D., SPHR, loves challenges. And when a unique job opportunity to head a new HR consulting practice opened up recently, he jumped at the chance, even though he was also taking on a demanding two-year term as chair of the Board of Directors for the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). In taking on both challenges simultaneously, Taylor says he wants to set an example for what it truly means to be a courageous HR leader. Taylor recently took time from his busy schedule to talk with HR Magazine Senior Writer Bill Leonard to discuss his hopes and visions for the HR management profession and SHRM.

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HR Magazine: You are the second lawyer to become chair of SHRM in recent years (Michael J. Lotito, SPHR, served as chair in 2000). Do you think this gives you a different perspective on the HR management profession from other career paths?

Taylor: I believe that more and more the discipline of being an HR professional does include some elements of legal background and training or at least a working knowledge of the law. I believe that being an attorney has definitely provided me with an advantage and has served me well in my career. In law school, you are taught to really use your analytical and critical-thinking skills, and I have found these skills have helped me tremendously throughout my career.

So much of what we do as HR practitioners has to do with workplace laws and compliance with rules and regulations that it has reached the point where employment law is almost a subspecialty of the HR profession. An increasing number of HR executives do have law degrees and have moved over to the HR department after serving as in-house counsel or in similar positions. This has happened because so much work of businesses' in-house legal counsels revolves around employment law.

HR Magazine: Do you think being a lawyer will become a requirement for most HR professionals?

Taylor: I don't think attending law school ever will be a requisite to becoming an HR executive. However, a working knowledge of the law is definitely a skill HR professionals should have. The need for some legal skills seems to increase every day because today's workplace is so highly regulated and new laws and regulations impacting HR and the workforce are enacted every year. There's no doubt that employment law is an area of specialty for many attorneys, such as myself, and that more HR professionals than ever before have attained an impressive level of knowledge about the laws that impact the workplace. I also believe this trend toward more knowledge and expanded skills in employment law will continue.

HR Magazine: Since there is a growing trend toward more knowledge and skills in employment law, do you plan to make it a special goal or emphasis during your two-year tenure as chair of SHRM?

Taylor: SHRM does an excellent job of providing the information and educational opportunities that HR professionals need. Developing educational sessions and offering information that includes a legal perspective and background is very much a part of the Society's mission-critical goal of serving the professional. Some of the best-attended and highest-rated sessions at SHRM conferences feature attorneys, and the SHRM Employment Law and Legislative Conference in March is always well attended and focuses primarily on aspects of the law that impact us most as HR professionals.

While SHRM is obviously doing a great job in this area, that's not to say the Society won't continue to work hard and provide the tools and information HR professionals need to perform their jobs. During my tenure as SHRM chair, I want the Society to focus even more on serving the professional and advancing the profession, and to offer all HR professionals the most comprehensive and highest-quality package of information, tools and services possible.

HR Magazine: Should SHRM members and HR professionals expect to see over the next two years any changes in the products and services that the Society offers?

Taylor: I think SHRM is doing a superb job. Our members and HR professionals won't be seeing any drastic changes in the products and services SHRM offers, but hopefully they will see enhancements to the high-quality products and customer service we currently provide.

The theme for my term as SHRM board chair is "Courageous HR Leadership." I strongly believe that we need more aggressive leadership in the HR profession. We need more of those courageous leaders who step up and take responsibility and show that HR has an important leadership role in today's workplace.

I believe that the door is open for HR professionals because more and more employers recognize the most important asset they possess is their people and their talent. And we as HR professionals must show how businesses can realize the full potential of their workforces. It's a huge responsibility. We must have the courage and strength to step in and show we are true business leaders.

I believe that there are many HR leaders who are strategic players in their organizations and have been for years. HR executives who do not possess these skills or knowledge have the potential to do more harm than good as we work to continually advance the profession. Frankly, having the wrong person at the table can be much worse than having no one at the table at all. There are HR professionals who have an opportunity right now to step up and demonstrate their strengths as leaders, but they have to be prepared to do it. Otherwise, they could miss this chance, and if the door closes, it will be very hard to open it again. I believe the chief responsibilities of committed HR professionals should be to completely develop their HR management expertise and build their skills as business strategists. The role of the professional society, in this case SHRM, will be to provide the knowledge and skills that HR professionals need to take their place at the table.